Megan Moroney & ‘Tennessee Orange’: The Viral Hit’s College Football Inspiration
When Megan Moroney dropped “Tennessee Orange,” she didn’t just release a new track; she conquered a new fandom: college football. The song became an instant hit for its Romeo & Juliet romance: a Georgia…
When Megan Moroney dropped “Tennessee Orange,” she didn’t just release a new track; she conquered a new fandom: college football. The song became an instant hit for its Romeo & Juliet romance: a Georgia Bulldogs fan girl falling in love with a Tennessee Volunteer fan. Suddenly, country music fans weren’t just drinking whiskey during game night; they were debating team loyalty and dating ethics.
This is the story of how Moroney was able to co-write a song with Ben Williams, David Fanning, and Paul Jenkins about the South’s most passionate rivalries and how it became a nationwide hit.
The Origin Story: A Georgia Girl's Musical Confession
Moroney, born October 9, 1997, in Savannah, Georgia, is a Georgian girl through and through. She graduated in 2020 with a BBA, majoring in Marketing with Digital Marketing Emphasis from the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia. She also earned a Music Business Certificate from UGA. A member of the Kappa Delta sorority, Moroney initially majored in accounting before switching to marketing.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, she moved to Nashville in the Summer of 2020 after graduating. Even while living in Nashville, she still did not forget her passion for the Georgia Bulldogs football fandom. The concept for the song came when Moroney put on a Tennessee shirt, and how wrong it felt. It inspired the lines, “In Georgia, they'd call it a sin/And I still want the Dawgs to win/But I'm wearin' Tennessee orange for him.”
College Football References That Made the Song Authentic
The song had several college football elements that resonated with fans (and showed how much of a fan Moroney is). Specific references in the song include:
- Knoxville Stadium – where the two went to watch the game. (“Took me to Knoxville last Saturday/And I wore the hat on his dash to the game/It sure wasn't Athens, but I/Fell for him under those Neyland lights.”)
- “Rocky Top” - Tennessee’s famous fight song. It’s also regularly played during game days. (“Mama, forgive me, I like him a lot/Hell, I'm learnin' the words to ‘Old Rocky Top.’”)
- The importance of donning the team colors: Georgia red vs. Tennessee orange. (“He's got a smile that makes me forget/I've always looked better in red” and “I'm wearin' Tennessee orange for him.”)
These details were like Easter eggs for college football fans and made the song a relatable track for anyone who experienced divided loyalties in sports because of a relationship.
Megan Moroney and Morgan Wallen Connection and Viral Speculation
The song is already romantic enough as it is, but throw in Morgan Wallen, who was speculated to own the Tennessee jersey that inspired the song. Moroney posted a blurry image of herself wearing a Vols jersey on her Instagram to announce the song, but it also led to widespread speculation. Fans first thought it might be Conner Smith’s jersey since he had released “Orange and White,” a song about the same rivalry but from the opposite perspective: “I laughed and said, ‘Girl, look at you now’/You've been red and black for your whole life/Now you're fallin' for a boy in orange and white.”
However, fans guessed another player is involved based on the social media interactions between Moroney and Wallen, specifically his “GBO” (Go Big Orange) comment on her post and her response with a blushing emoji. Fans also linked “Tennessee Orange” with Wallen’s “Tennessee Fan”, especially the chorus, “I got the number one pick, blonde hair, red lips/Brought her over to the other side.”
Wallen also fanned the flames with teasing comments like “Did we ever figure out who’s shirt this is??” Moroney eventually confirmed it was Wallen’s jersey but maintained, “It’s his shirt. But it’s just a shirt.” Talk about life imitating art.
Sadly, it seems the couple on “Tennessee Orange” had a happier ending than Moroney and Wallen, who confirmed via her 2024 Call Her Daddy podcast appearance (via Billboard) that they did date but “never exclusively.”
